I am saddened
to read that Rosa Parks has died, though she lived a long, full life. Her death reminds me of an account I've heard of her moment in history. In particular, I remember reading that she has said of her decision not to give her seat to a white man, she had done so because she was just tired . . . of course, it wasn't akin to laziness, but rather a resolve that is borne from being fed up. She made her mark in history (and paved the way for societal change) because she finally decided she wasn't going to take it anymore. And sometimes I think we have to get tired of doing things the easy or convenient or acceptable or popular way before we'll do what's best. I'm glad she made that choice, though it would have certainly been understandable for her to have chosen differently. Mrs. Parks, R.I.P.
Correction: I read this a.m. that Rosa Parks demurred from the general perception that she had not gotten up because her feet hurt. Here's a quote from the Melbourne Herald Sun,
Speaking in 1992, she said history too often maintained "that my feet were
hurting and I didn't know why I refused to stand up when they told me. But the
real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as
any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long.
Nonetheless, I admire her example and am glad she was willing to take a stand, so to speak.
No comments:
Post a Comment